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If you have access to a computer and are familiar with how to view a web page, online banking can be a snap. It’s usually a fairly simple process to sign up. If you have an existing bank account, you can talk with a banker about setting up online access, and they will get you started. Usually all that’s required is your username, password, and the web address. This makes it easy to monitor your account usage from anywhere and to check for suspicious activity.

To use an online bank account, go to the bank’s web page and login with your username and password. They may have a variety of screens for you to look at, with options such as checking your balance, viewing your recent activity, making a transfer, or paying bills. Just click the option you’re interested in and you’re on your way to enjoying one of the greatest things about online banking: convenience and easy access to your account 24/7.

The only thing to be careful of with online banking is that you don’t inadvertently give out your personal information to phishers. Phishers are people who make fake web sites designed to look like the real thing in hopes of tricking people into giving out information. To avoid this, never click on a link in an email purporting to be from your bank (most banks won’t send out emails like that anyway). Instead, always manually type in the bank’s web address into the browser, and verify that the site is secure. (You can tell if a site is secure by seeing a little lock symbol in your browser, or by seeing https instead of http in the browser bar.)

For your savings account, you may wish to choose a bank that’s ONLY an online bank. Typically these pay higher interest rates than brick-and-mortar banks (which may not even pay interest at all!). Banks like ING, HSBC, and Emigrant are all currently paying in the 4 to 5 percent range. (I have ING referrals if you’d like one.)